


The Blessings of Providence - Fate's Snare

by Obsidiangst



Series: The Blessings of Providence [1]
Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adult Content, Adult Language, Adult Themes, Angst, Canon Divergent, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, I still don't understand how the Gorons reproduce, Link is older, Link talks just not a lot, Mental Illness, Most characters are going to exhibit symptoms of PTSD at some point, Multi, Nudity, Sidon is older, Somehow..., Teba is Revali's brother, The Shrine of Ressurection doesn't happen, Universe Alteration, Wartime Trauma, Yunobo is... older and related to Daruk, riju is urbosa's daughter, there's a beta but we still die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidiangst/pseuds/Obsidiangst
Summary: The strings of fate and destiny are intricately woven into the complex tapestry of life; unseen, but ever present. When paths cross and relationships form, these strings find and wrap around one another, some strands only cross a few times before going on their own way once again, but some entwine so closely that they seemingly become the same strand; continuing to the end together.When Sheya's fate became entangled with Link's, before it was revealed he was the Sword's Chosen Hero, before the assembly of the Champions, before the prophecy and the death of the Queen, she had very little idea of the future the change in fate would bring her.
Relationships: Link/f!OC, Zelda/m!OC
Series: The Blessings of Providence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022206
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	1. Fates Intersect

Spring’s cool morning had left the grass and Castle Town’s paved roads covered in dew, some mist still hanging around in the shaded alleyways between buildings. The streets were just starting to become populated with the early risers of the city as the first beams of sunlight brought a new day to Hyrule. Lilting birdsongs filled the ears of the passerbys, Sheya noting the calls of buntings and sparrows out of the myriad of songs. The young woman walked briskly, conserving the residual warmth from her home’s fireplace before she had left for her field medic training. However, she had a quick stop to make at one of the numerous stables in Castle Town beforehand, waving to a stablehand that was forking hay for his own work, getting a polite nod in return, before slipping into the open stable doors.

Sheya walked through the stable, stopping at her horse’s stall and clicking her tongue at the smokey grey stallion. “Hey, Cinder, I got you something.” She said, pulling a crisp red apple from her lunch bag as the horse lifted his head from a resting position and approached the half wall of the stall, ears perked and nostrils flaring a bit as he greeted Sheya with a soft nicker. The stallion sniffed the apple in his owner’s hand for a moment before snatching it up and starting to chew, juices dripping from his lips while he made a few pleased grunts, silvery-grey tail swishing behind him. Sheya smiled and took a few moments to pet her fuzzy horse’s spring coat before a familiar brown nose caught her attention. Ears perked and eyes watchful, the dark bay horse in the next stall poked her head out.

“Don’t worry, Runa, I didn’t forget you.” Sheya said, pulling out a second apple that the brown mare took happily and munched on while Cinder licked his lips, nudging Sheya’s hair as he huffed, searching for more apples while the young girl laughed. “Sorry, I only had two. I’ll come back later, I promise!” She said, patting Cinder’s cheek and giving Runa’s a quick scratch on the nose before leaving again. She would have more time later, for now she had to get to Hyrule Castle’s training grounds by 6.

When Sheya arrived the soldiers were already in formation and each squadron’s captains were taking roll, readying for morning drills, fitness training, and sparring sessions. Nervous that she was late, she jogged to the tent set up in the middle of the grounds for the medical officers supervising the training and reported for the day. Thankfully she wasn’t late, though she wasn’t as early as she usually was.

“You’re mentor is out on duty so you’ll be the acting field medic for the day.” The officer told her and Sheya nodded once, retrieving the pack of medical supplies that she would eventually carry while she was on assignments and exiting the tent. Her day would mostly be comprised of wandering through the training grounds, the occasional direction to run the obstacle course or a lap or two around the perimeter of the grounds when things were going slowly for her. As a field medic she was in between the status of soldier and healer, thus, she had to listen to the directing captains as well as the medical officers even though she didn’t report to them. She, however, did have the right to disregard their orders if she was reacting to the need of someone who was injured. When she was promoted to full field medic, she’d the same rank as the squadron captains and be able to override the orders of most higher ranks within reason.

Moving in and out of the soldiers on the obstacle courses, she was able to pass many of them, not weighed down by as much armor and weaponry as they were, despite having some hardened leather armor, her supply pack, and a kodachi that had belonged to her mother. Most paid little attention to her, focusing on their own performance, though a few did cast glances her way at the Sheikah Eye sewed into the sleeves of her medic uniform. Most had a hard time telling she was a ‘real’ Sheikah or not otherwise thanks to her mixed heritage. She didn’t have the white hair and red eyes that made the Sheikah recognizable, instead having platinum blonde hair and lavender eyes that set her apart from both Hylians and Sheikah. She still was acknowledged by her mother’s tribe though, having been trained in their combat techniques since she was a young child when her proficiency for magic was discovered. She was still learning some of the advanced techniques with help from one of the Sheikah advisors from the castle, but they would become easier with with time and practice.

After the drills the soldiers started moving into combat training, sparring with one another; captains instructing their squad members on techniques to be used and pointers to correct mistakes made. Everything was normal, however, Sheya noticed one soldier away from the others with a veteran knight sparring intensely. It wasn't the first time she had noticed this particular soldier doing so, in fact it was an everyday occurance, but she never had asked who it was. Clearly he was proficient with a blade in ways that the other soldiers couldn't hope to mirror without years more of practice. It was fascinating to watch the soldier and the veteran knight spar together, both light on their feet and seeming to dance with their blades and shields, the soldier’s blonde hair whipping to and fro and his brilliant blue eyes so intently focused on the opponent before him-

"Sheya, pay attention!" One of the medical officers snapped her from her daze, motioning to where one group had stopped as an injury had occurred.

"Coming!" She felt her cheeks flush slightly before running over quickly to examine the wound. The injury in question was more or less a shallow cut that she healed in just a few moments, calling her energy into her hand, making it pulse with a glowing blue energy as she pressed the wound closed with her fingers, the energy floweing into the wound and stimulating it to grow back together, leaving a faint reddish scar that would fade with time. The soldier thanked her, flexing his arm experimentally before going back to his squadron to keep sparring.

"Sir, may I ask who the soldier is training with the knight over there?" Sheya questioned as she approached the officer she reported to, gesturing at the pair across the field. The officer glanced up, then nodded in understanding.

"Ah, so that's what distracted you. That is Link Anlaun. I'm sure you've noted his skill already. He's too young to hold a rank, but I imagine he'll be a knight himself soon after he becomes of age." The officer explained and Sheya nodded. watching the graceful movements of the soldier and the knight again, blinking with surprise as Link disarmed the older and larger knight he sparred with. Sheya tilted her head, humming contemplatively.

"I imagine you're right." She replied to the officer before yet another injury called for her attention. 

It was well into the afternoon by the time the soldiers, and Sheya, were dismissed from the training grounds, Sheya staying a bit later to finish filling out injury reports and having them turned in to and authorized by the supervising officers. On her way out, she perused around one of the small produce markets that littered Castle Town's wide streets, purchasing several apples before she made her way back to the stable, munching on one of the crisp fruits herself as she walked.

Cinder was already at the opening to the stall, his head sticking out into the walkway, tossing his forelocks to and fro as he bobbed his head at the sight of Sheya, nickering softly in greeting again. Sheya found herself giggling at the stallion's antics and scratched his cheek as she approached him again. "Is that so, Cinder?" She questioned the horse, who snorted loudly in return, nodding his head vigorously up and down, lifting his upper lip and pointing his head up at the ceiling. Sheya laughed and pulled out one of the apples she had bought, holding it out for Cinder as he lowered his head again and took the apple after a pleased whinny escaped him.

There was a little scuffling in Runa's stall as the dark mare joined Cinder at the gate of her own stall, nickering softly and eyeing Sheya and nosing at her bag.

"Well hello to you too, Runa-" Sheya chuckled, pulling out another apple for the brown horse to enjoy. Another scuffle in the stall caught Sheya's attention, looking around Runa to see a soldier, still in uniform, in the stall with the horse. Sheya's face went red as she realized that this soldier, the very soldier she had asked the Officer about, Link, must have been Runa's owner.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I've never seen anyone in here with Runa before, I would have asked before giving her anything-" Sheya started, her speech picking up pace in her embarrassment. She knew some people got irritated when strangers fed their horses without asking, but Link shook his head and waved a hand at her after standing, offering a soft smile.

"It's okay." He said, scratching Runa's side before exiting the stall, locking it behind him. Sheya's face was still red, even with the assurance that the soldier didn't mind. "She likes you."

"Y-yeah, I suppose she does- I imagine the apples help." Sheya stammered a bit, Link nodding silently a little smile gracing his features for another half a second, patting Runa's snout before turning to leave. Sheya blinked, startled by the quick interaction. "Can I ask you something?" Link paused mid-step, turning back to face Sheya, the intense blue of his eyes meeting her own soft purple. "I noticed that you train separately from your squadron; why is that?" She asked. As skilled as he was, Sheya imagined it would vastly benefit his squadmates if he trained with them, pushing them to find ways to improve their own skills.

Sheya was met with a bit of a weary look from the young man. Instead of an answer, Link stood there for another moment, lips slightly parted, as if searching for words and not sure what to say, but Sheya blinked in surprise again as he quickly turned on his heel and left quickly. It startled her more that he had fled than it stung that he had ignored her question, but it just made her more curious about the quiet soldier.


	2. Fates Entwine

Sheya woke up just before dawn everyday, it was simply a habit she had picked up from being required to be at the training field so early every morning. Today was different though, it was an off week! Every now and then rotation groups would be scheduled a week without duty or training to allow the soldiers to have a brief time to rest and take care of affairs they couldn't while they were busy training or away from Castle Town. Being only 16, Sheya had no affairs of her own to take care of, so like she did the first day of every off week, she headed to the stables to take Cinder for a ride.

Sheya had kept an eye out for Link since she had met him that afternoon in the stable, having not seen him except at a distance during training, sparring with the same or multiple knights during normal field sessions. She learned that the knight he most often fought with was his own father! It was hard to stay focused on her training when it was so mesmerizing to see the father and son dance with their weapons, the blades singing as they collided together. It had gotten her reprimanded more a few times since first really paying attention to his fighting practices, but it was without a doubt enrapturing. She even caught herself thinking about some of the fluid moves the younger of the pair exhibited, mentally practicing how they were formed in her head.

Going into the stable with a bag packed for a day out in Hyrule Field, she was pleasantly surprised to see Link there grooming Runa, who was leaning into his touch as he worked the dust and straw from her dark coat. He grunted with surprise as the mare saw Sheya entering and went up to the gate of the stall, snorting. Sheya couldn’t help a quiet laugh at the mare’s expectant gaze and Link’s own mildly confused one that quickly relaxed as he took note of the Sheikah woman approaching.

"Good morning,” Sheya greeted the knight as she passed the stall, Link returning her greeting with a curt nod and hum of acknowledgement. The Sheikah went to get her own brush box, returning to Cinder's stall and dropping her pack to the ground before hanging the box on the gate of the stall to begin grooming the smokey stallion. There was a period of silence as the pair groomed their horses, unbothered by the other standing in the adjacent stall.

"So, Link, right?" Sheya grabbed his attention, the soldier pausing to look over at Sheya in the next stall, giving a brief nod to confirm that Link was indeed his name, not that Sheya really had any doubt. "I wasn’t able to introduce myself the last time we met, so my name's Sheya." She continued on, earning a soft smile and a nod.

"Nice to meet you." Link said, eyeing Cinder as the stallion tossed his mane around, snorting and pawing at the straw behind Sheya, the horse’s movement making her giggle a bit.

“He knows we’re about to leave.” Sheya said, Cinder tossing his head up and down and snorting as if in agreement to her. Sheya could have sworn his resting face turned into a soft smile for half a second at the horse’s antics, but it was quickly replaced with stoicism again. “Do you take Runa out for rides? I haven’t seen her away in a while.”

“I don’t leave often.” Link replied, scratching Runa’s neck idly. “She’s too old to ride too hard too often..” Sheya nodded in understanding. She had noticed Runa’s swayed back when she first saw her, she was certainly close to twenty years old, nothing to be compared to Cinder’s mere five. There was another brief pause in the conversation as a pair of stablehands passed, paying no heed to the pair in the stalls, but the quiet still seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"I heard the officers talking this week about reports of Moblins around the Outpost, do you think there’s any truth to them?" Sheya asked, Link slowly nodding as they both returned to grooming their horses, though Sheya would turn to look at the soldier's body language.

"They got official reports just yesterday about it." Link shared, his voice still quiet and tame, as if afraid to speak too loudly and draw attention to himself.

"Well..." Sheya looked back at the blond soldier. "Would you like to come with me then? It'd be a lot safer with two pairs of eyes watching the hills- Unless you have things to do already, of course. I can always stick closer to-"

"I'll go,” he interrupted her with another curt nod and a hesitant smile, one that showed ever so slightly in his bright blue eyes. Sheya smiled back at him warmly despite his slight facial expression and nodded.

"Okay, great! We can take it easy if you don’t want to run Runa, so don’t worry about that," she said, rather pleased that he had agreed so easily, but it made her curious as well. For someone so quiet and reclusive almost, he seemed eager to please. She hoped he wasn’t letting her coerce him out of something he needed to do or something he didn’t want to, but there was no way for her to know that. She wanted to get to know him, so maybe she could learn to read his passive face and poised body language. She could feel he was hiding behind that persona for some reason and she wanted to know what was behind it. 

The pair finished grooming their mounts before going to the tack room to get their saddles and bridles, tacking up and leading their horses from their stalls. Sheya made sure to grab her pack from the ground and mounted Cinder when they got outside, looking over to Link as he swung up onto Runa. They both started through Castle Town, trotting through the quiet cobblestone streets, still a little too early for most people to be up and about outside their homes. The silence wasn't terribly uncomfortable for the most part, only broken by Link soothing his horse periodically. She rode easily and he seemed gentle with her reins, hardly putting much pressure on them. Sheya wished she could be so gentle with Cinder, but the stallion had moments where he needed firm redirection in response to his outbursts of testosterone fueled horsey rage.

As they exited Castle Town under the arches in the town’s outer ward, Link motioned for Sheya to follow him as he turned towards the road leading to the Breach of Demise. “Where are we heading to?” Sheya questioned, turning Cinder to follow Runa.

“Nami Plains,” Link replied, making her nod with understanding. Under the shadow of Satori Mountain and the mysterious watch of the Lord of the Mountain, it was one of the safest areas in Hyrule even as reports of monsters came in daily. With no visible threats, the pair moved their horses into a slow gallop which, since Sheya knew where their intended destination was, Cinder pulled ahead of Runa slowly to take the lead. After a twenty minute run, they were forced to slow as they came upon the excavation site that stretched into the Breach; the search for the precious Sheikah artifacts had begun five years prior and still nothing beyond the Guardians had been unearthed in the search, though many sites were still searching and digging. The duo carefully made their way through the area, avoiding any workers, rubble, or scaffolding, and then continued on their way to Nami Plains.

Upon arriving at the sheltered plain, Cinder began pulling on his reins as soon as they stopped to gather their bearings, wanting to take advantage of the wide open field before them. It seemed the stallion’s desire to run had infected Runa, one ear pointed high and ahead and the other facing back towards Link and she took a few longer strides to catch up with Cinder before stretching her head out towards the field. “Are you sure Runa’s too old for a run? She looks ready to go to me,” Sheya giggled, gripping Cinder’s reins tight so he didn’t go charging ahead when she wasn’t ready for him to.

“She’s not usually in such energetic company,” Link replied, though his neutral face had turned into a soft half-smile as Runa snorted in response to Cinder bouncing up and pawing the earth. Sheya laughed a bit, inwardly noting that the soldier’s guard had gone down slightly away from the multitude of eyes in Castle Town.

“Well, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” Gripping onto Cinder’s mane and she pressed her heels into his side for a moment. The brief ushering was all the stallion needed to dig his hind hooves in and surge forwards, speeding down the slight hill into the wide space below. It took Sheya some moments to hear the second set of hoofbeats following them, Runa and Link right behind them by half a second. It took an hour for Cinder and Runa to tire themselves out, charging through the plain before going through Dalite Forest and then down the road towards Sanidin Park where Link and Sheya both dismounted to stretch their own legs after five hours on horseback. Cinder and Runa drank from the fountain there while Sheya fished out the parcel of food she had brought with her, seeing it was well passed lunchtime.

“Do you always bring that much food with you?” Link asked, an eyebrow quirked slightly as Sheya pulled out rice, salt cured pork, herbs, and Goron Spice from the parcel, pausing as she next pulled a cassolette and a small bundle of wood from her pack. Sheya struggled for words for a moment as she realized it may have looked like she had planned for company, laughing nervously as her cheeks got pink.

“Yes, actually. My mentor’s beaten it into my head that it’s always better to be over prepared than to be sorry later. And that includes extra food,” she said, giving him a sheepish grin, which earned her a very quiet chuckle and a nod as she started to cook. He was still holding back, still guarded, but he seemed more at peace out in the wilderness than he was in the city. Maybe it was the absence of people. Or maybe it felt more like home for him. Sheya could relate to those things; she missed the quiet afternoons in Kakariko and getting to explore Rabia Plain and the Sahasra Slope, but home was always just a day’s trip away.

“Did… Did you even taste it?” Sheya asked, shocked that Link had emptied his bowl of rather hot curried pork while she had barely put a dent into her own. Link’s cheeks grew very pink at this and he nodded, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. There was the crack in his defenses she had been looking for- food. Sheya was unable to hold back her grin at the soldier’s embarrassment, stifling giggles with a hand over her mouth. “S-sorry!” she stammered out between fits of giggling. “If you’re still hungry you can have what’s left in the pot. That’s better than it going to waste- Just don’t choke!”

Sheya tried to hold back her amusement at the soldier’s sheepishness, for a fighter of his caliber, he surprised her with how humble he was. Soon enough they wrapped up their meal and began the task of retrieving the horses who had wandered off. Sheya had already started marching towards where Runa and Cinder had gone off to, but a trill whistle from Link made Runa’s head lift up high before she started back towards them. Cinder was quick to realize he was being left and ran after the older horse, both returning to them with minimal distance traversed.

“How’d you do that?!” Sheya asked, fascinated and Link shrugged a little before mounting Runa.

“My grandfather taught her to do that when she was young,” Link replied as Sheya climbed onto Cinder, adjusting a stirrup that had loosened some while the pair of steeds wandered the field.

“It’s a useful trick, that’s for certain,” Sheya said and Link smiled a bit, patting Runa’s neck before starting back the way they came. As they began their journey back, Sheya thought back to a few days before and pursed her lips slightly. “You never answered my question before; why you train without your squadron.”

Link nodded slightly, visibly struggling with how to word the response he was going to give. “The captains decided it would be better for… morale, if I didn’t train with the others.” Link got out. Sheya blinked, but nodded in response. It was clearly a lie, nobody thought that hard about phrasing if they weren’t lying; or at least hiding something.

“I suppose that makes enough sense,” she said as she looked over to her Hylian companion. “You know, if you don’t want to say something, you can just say so, you don’t have to lie to pacify me,” Sheya pointed out. Link's cheeks went red once again as she called him out for lying, dipping his head in acknowledgement of her statement while bringing his hand up to the back of his head.

“I’m not sure why I try, I’ve always been a terrible liar,” Link admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, Sheya offering an understanding smile in return. “I guess I’d just rather not say right now.”

“That’s fair. Just say so next time and I’ll change the subject, ‘kay?” Sheya smiled at the brief look of relief in Link’s eyes, a little sparkle and the slight angling of his eyebrows. They rode back to Castle Town in the same silence, albeit a little more comfortable silence, that they rode to the plain in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer than I had expected it to, but I'm finally finished! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate, and otherwise have a happy holiday season!


	3. Spring's Growth

Over the course of Spring, Sheya slowly chipped away at the shell Link guarded himself with, slowly earning peeks and glimpses of his true personality that normally remained locked away under his shell’s hard surface. If Sheya was anything, she was persistent and intuitive. The comfortable loneliness of the wilds, outside of the hustle and bustle of Castle Town, away from the rigorous training, and prying eyes is where Sheya found Link would let his near impenetrable guard down. He was never lax, eyes always scanning the horizon for threats with a hand resting on his sword, but he was at the very least open and willing to speak.

Sheya enjoyed their conversations and it didn’t take long for her to discover topics that interested him. The way Link’s eyes would light up when they never would in Castle Town made her heart soar for him. She couldn’t imagine being so stiff and… perhaps even scared to express herself verbally. It was nice to see someone so carefully guarded relaxed and even laughing occasionally when telling a story or listening to Sheya tell her own. One ride on the cusp of summer, their shared interest in cooking turned from talk of comforting foods and smells that eased their homesickness to the ones that filled their hearts with longing for simpler days at home where the coming days didn’t seem so dire and full of life-altering moments.

“So, that begs the question, where’s ‘home’ for you?” Sheya questioned as they rode passed Whistling Hill, looking over where Runa trailed ever so slightly behind Cinder. 

“Hateno Village,” Link answered, looking off at the distance, again scanning for possible threats, but quickly returning his focus to the conversation. “As much as I like food, I think I miss how quiet it was there the most.” He said, just a hint of longing buried somewhere in his neutral tone. Sheya nodded slowly. “Castle Town always makes it seem like I never know who I’m looking at most of the time. In Hateno you know just about everyone because they’ll always stop to say hello. Nobody does that in Castle Town. The only person I know who does it is you.” Sheya laughed quietly.

“Yeah, I get that… Kakariko was always pretty close-knit. It was really only farmers and then the few travellers and merchants who stopped by to get carrots and pumpkins that broke up the familiar faces. Even then they normally were pretty friendly and would try to get you to buy something from them,” Sheya shared as they turned onto the road that led to Owlan Bridge. “It was only really quiet at night though. You could always see so many stars…” She trailed off, looking up at the sky. It’s daytime blue hid the pitch and it’s plethora of glimmering stars and planets she knew many of by name. They were silent for a few moments as Sheya lowered her gaze back to earth with a sigh. “I miss my mother…”

“Oh…” Link frowned and looked at his hands for a second, then looked back at her. “Did your mom die too?”

Sheya’s eyes went wide and snapped to Link. “I- Er- N-No, no, she’s not dead. I just don’t have much time to go home and visit her,” Sheya said, rubbing the pad of her thumb across the leather of the reins in her hands. “I didn’t know your mom died, I’m sorry.”

“It happened when I was really little,” Link explained. “She had birthing complications with my sister and was really sick for a month and passed away.” 

“My father passed away when I was really young. My mom didn’t want to be alone in Castle Town, so she went back to Kakariko with me to be near her parents.” Sheya said. They seemed to both ride in contemplative silence for a while then, both processing the new information about each other.

“Your father..? Do you know what happened?” Link asked and Sheya shook her head.

“Not exactly. He was a soldier, so I can only imagine it was an ill-fated encounter with some monster that got lucky.” Sheya replied. “My mom doesn’t talk about him much, but my grandmother says that I look a lot like him.”

“He was a Hylian then?” Link asked as Sheya nodded again, sensing the impending question of her racial status she went ahead to answer.

“Yeah, he was Hylian. I’m still accepted as Sheikah because of my mother. Sheikah trace their lineage matriarchally, so since my mother is Sheikah, I am as well.” Sheya explained and Link nodded.

“That’s interesting. I’ve never heard anyone talk about that sort of thing regarding the Sheikah before.” Link said and Sheya chuckled a under her breath. “When was the last time you visited your mother?” Sheya thought back to the winter holidays she had spent at home remembering the snow that dusted everything with white the morning of the new calendar year when she returned back to Castle Town.

“It was the beginning of last year,” Sheya said. “Right after the year changed. The weather was too harsh to make it home this past winter.”

“Yeah, that blizzard was really bad. My father and I couldn’t make it past Deuling Peaks Stable until the snow had cleared and by then we had to report back for duty again. There was a neighbor stuck there too though so he took our letters and gifts back to my sister,” Link explained and Sheya nodded. “I miss her a lot. She changes so much every time I see her. My father said that it was part of my duty to miss home so that I can fight harder for it,” Link sounded bitter about the comment.

Sheya frowned, but nodded. “You’ve not spoken about your father before, are you not close?” Link shook his head.

“No. Not really. He was always gone when I was young and we never really see each other outside of training. We were raised by my mom’s father primarily after my mother passed,” Link shared, Sheya nodding. She knew how that was despite her mother being present. She ran a store so Sheya spent a lot of time with her grandparents. “He always kept me out of trouble.”

“My mom was always busy with the shop and if I managed to get away I’d take my dad’s horse and ride around Sahasra Slope and harass the few stray bokoblins there.” Sheya shared, trying to change the bitter subject. “I had to practice archery somehow and they’d always be so focused on escaping that they’d trip over rocks or sticks or run straight into each other and end up tumbling halfway down the slope.”

“Bokoblins truly are dense creatures.” Link commented with a chuckle. “Like rocks.”

“They sink just like rocks too.” Sheya quipped and Link let out a mirthful little laugh, a faint half smile appearing on his face. They continued their ride, sharing stories of Bokoblin antics while they made a slow return to Castle Town.

“You know, I’m really glad that you feel comfortable enough to speak with me,” Sheya looked at Link, who had turned his head to look at her. “When we took that first ride and we barely spoke the entire day I was a bit afraid that you were just-- silent like that.” Sheya said and Link looked down before he turned his head back towards the horizon where Castle Town and the settlements around it stood.

“It’s hard for me to relax when people are watching everything I’m doing,” Link said and Sheya tilted her head.

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, hoping he would clarify.

“That first question you asked me, ‘Why do I train alone?’,” Link started. “When I first enlisted when I was 14, I- Made quite a few nobles upset because I could disarm their sons. They were all older, larger, and more experienced than I was and I kept getting moved to different squadrons to avoid upset nobles breathing down the Captains’ necks because I was embarrassing them. I got a reputation for being a bad sparring partner because of how easily I could figure out a partner’s fighting style and disarm them. So after my third re-placement into a new squadron, they asked if my father would send one or two of the Royal Guard to train with me to avoid anyone else getting angry at me for… Nothing really,” Link finished, looking at Sheya again who was making a face.

“That’s such a stupid thing to be upset over. They should have encouraged their sons to do better and be dedicated to their oath of service to the throne,” Sheya said. She honestly already was a little outraged at the gall most of the court nobles had and this just went to further justify the perturbation she had for them. “Your father’s in the Royal Guard, what were they expecting? Sheer incompetence out of you?”

“I suppose they were expecting my low birth and young age to equate to low skill.” There was that bitterness again. Sheya’a frown deepened.

“Bah! Those cowards are just concerned about how things make them look to each other. If they had a shred more sense about them they’d be trying to learn from you, but that would mean setting their enormous egos aside,” Sheya ranted briefly. “I’ve seen how you fight, you’re like your own small army. If people took your example, it would be better for everyone.” Link gave a quiet chuckle at that, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“I mean it, Link.” Sheya said, looking at her riding partner as he dropped his arm and glanced at her. He seemed unsure, but offered the barest of smiles. Or at least Sheya thought his lips had turned upwards slightly instead of just completely straight. Regardless, anything close to a smile from the stoic young man was a good thing in her books.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm extraordinarily nervous about posting this, I've not published any fan-fiction for YEARS so returning author here. I've been planning this fic out for a few months now, but I wanted to wait until Age of Calamity came out in case it was a direct prequel for more information about Hyrule 100 years ago, so now I'm comfortable writing and posting this fic.
> 
> If you like the fic, please leave a comment and/or kudos to let me know! I crave that validation.
> 
> Cheers!


End file.
